


Driven From Our Parallels

by Branithar



Series: Grinding Our Gums Raw [3]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), Waterparks (Band)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Pillow Talk, Prostitution, Science Fiction, graphic depictions of vaping, nothing graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:09:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27260251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Branithar/pseuds/Branithar
Summary: Jawn engages in heartfelt pillow talk with a client.
Relationships: Ashton Irwin/Jawn Rocha
Series: Grinding Our Gums Raw [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1789960





	Driven From Our Parallels

Jawn exhaled heavily and watched Ashton reach for his communicator on the side table, sweat shining purple with the shifting ceiling lights. Jawn’s own communicator beeped and he picked it up, eyes going straight to the hundred credit tip under Ashton’s five star rating. 

“You’re too generous with your tips,” he sighed, putting the communicator back on the side table and grabbing his vape gun, inhaling deeply. The flavour on the canister he had loaded in now said peach, but Jawn suspected that peaches didn’t taste like that. He preferred gummy worm anyway. 

“Have to be an asshole to not give your escorts good tips,” Ashton replied gruffly, opening an arm for Jawn to snuggle into. 

“The rating and maybe a twenty credit tip would be enough,” Jawn argued, blowing a cloud at the ceiling, which was more of a cyan now, “You should be saving your money.” 

Ashton looked out the window, at the colourful glow of the leisure cavern’s lights on the dark ceiling. “Why?” 

“ _Because,_ ” he replied incredulously, gesturing vaguely with the gun. 

Despite Jawn’s poor argument, Ashton sighed. “I always make sure Luke has enough. He’s gonna be fine if anything happens to me.”

“But you neglect yourself,” Jawn replied, pointedly taking a puff from his gun. 

“I wouldn’t call hiring under-charging escorts self-neglect.” 

Jawn huffed, the cloud billowing from his nose fanning across Ashton’s chest. He vaguely wondered how many breathes it would take to make his sweat taste like salty “peaches.” His eyes were drawn to the hand Ashton had on his tummy, at the scar around his wrist. 

Ashton looked down as his traced it. “I mean that, by the way. You should charge way more than you do.” 

“Hey, this conversation’s about how _you’re_ stupid with money,” Jawn retorted with a grin. 

Ashton shook his head, lightly massaging Jawn’s back with his fingertips. 

“How _is_ Luke, by the way?” 

“Alright. I hope.” 

“He’s not…”

“His health is great,” Ashton assured him, “It’s been a good month for him, I just…” He sighed heavily. “I don’t know how to tell if he’s okay mentally. Before the pirates, he was good at bottling shit up, you know? I try to make sure he’s happy in general, but…” 

“Yeah.” Jawn took another puff. 

“Michael has him tonight, yeah?” 

Jawn nodded. 

“He likes Michael.” 

“Michael likes _him._ ” Which had shocked Jawn, at first. He hadn’t expected Michael to be so patient every time Luke got confused, or stumbled over his words, or needed a minute to think. He hadn't expected Michael to want to have anything more to do with him than he needed to get paid, to talk about Luke when he and Ashton were gone and remind Jawn when they were supposed to be on their way back to Venus. Maybe he empathised with Luke’s scar and missing eye, connecting with him in a way he couldn't with other people. “I think he got a new animation since you guys were here last, by the way," Jawn told Ashton conversationally, "For his mask.” 

“Really?” 

“An exploding brain.” 

Ashton was quiet for a moment. “When he cums?” he guessed.

Jawn grinned. “Yeah.” 

He felt Ashton shake his head. “Luke’s gonna love that.” 

“Mikey thought so too.” 

If he was being honest, Michael’s relationship with Luke was getting more than a little unprofessional, but then again, Jawn couldn’t talk. How many other clients did he have these kinds of talks with? How many _friends_ did he bare his soul for the way he did with Ashton? 

“How long are you staying?” 

“A week.”

Jawn’s stomach sank. 

“We have a two-year mission out in the asteroid belt. We’re lucky the captain’s taking us on.” 

“Two _years._ ” Jawn took a puff from his gun. 

“Mainly chryo. We’ll only be awake for about three months.” 

Jawn exhaled. “I’ll be awake the whole time.” Shit. He shouldn’t have said that. 

Ashton was silent, but his fingers didn’t stop their idle movements on Jawn’s back. 

The canister in Jawn’s vape gun eventually ran out and he put it back on the side table with a sigh. He used to worry that one day Ashton would leave for a mission and not be able to find him when he got back, that Jawn would have found a better job and moved to a new cavern, maybe even a new colony, and they’d never see each other again, or they _would,_ but Jawn would be in his sixties while Ashton had stayed young. He’d gotten over that fear, though. He couldn’t get out of this cavern if he tried. 

“Do you get scared of getting older?” 

Ashton’s hand stilled. “Yeah. I don’t want everyone I know to die while I’m physically still in my thirties and just keeping going. I don’t wanna get to three hundred and have just missed everyone else’s lives.”

Jawn had to admit that he hadn’t expected that. “I’m scared of getting old while my friends stay young,” he confessed, “I think that’s why they saying loving FIFO workers is a bad idea. You don’t get to stick around for them.” 

“That’s smart,” Ashton said with a halfhearted chuckle. 

“Would you stay if you could?” 

“On Venus?” 

“Yeah.” 

Ashton sighed. “My family’s on Titan, so I’d still leave sometimes.” He turned his face to Jawn’s hair for a moment. “But I think I would make a home here.”

“Maybe one day,” Jawn suggested. 

“Maybe.”


End file.
